The Little Widow From The Capital by Yohanca Delgado, 2021
The magic trick:
Strange change
The narrator here engages in a bit of mythmaking. Or so it seems at first. She talks of the new woman in her New York City apartment building in tones that inspire legend.
But soon it’s clear to the reader that the actual descriptions of this woman run counter to the romantic buildup. She doesn’t seem all that legendary. So we read on awaiting the actions that warrant myth.
Then things start to happen. Dramatic things. Strange things. Magical things.
So magical in fact that the balance has shifted. No longer does it seem that the subject isn’t worthy of the mythical storytelling. Now it seems the narrative was actually more mundane than this character deserved.
Strange change.
And that’s quite a trick on Delgado’s part.
The selection:
When we heard that the little widow could sew, we started bringing her dresses and pants to hem, mostly because we wanted to know how she lived. The little widow’s three-bedroom apartment was laid out like the others, but as she worked, our eyes darted hungrily between her and the contents of her sewing room.
Her hair was curly, dyed reddish brown, and cut short around a pointed chin. When we got to see her up close, we noted that though she did have deep creases at the corners of her eyes, she did not have a widow’s peak. Her eyes were a dark hazel, and her pupils so small they looked like pinpricks.
The little widow had wallpapered her sewing room with a cheap burlap. When one of us slipped a fingernail underneath a panel and discovered that the rough cloth was glued on, we crossed ourselves and said a quick prayer for the little widow’s security deposit.
As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.
Subscribe to the Short Story Magic Tricks Monthly Newsletter to get the latest short story news, contests and fun.
Short Story Magic Tricks 